Arizona Medical Marijuana Association

Board Member

So were medical marijuana entrepreneur Al Sobol, Prop 203's PR man Joe Yuhas and several supporters of the dispensary industry.

...

Yuhas, spokesman for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, whose principles put Prop 203 on the ballot, says he's optimistic that today's hearing "will lead to a decision that will allow us to move forward."

He means moving forward on the opening of dozens of dispensaries in Arizona, as approved under the law.
Now, the "piecemeal" approach to rolling out the law has led, among other things, to 16,000 patients who have the legal ability to grow their own - a situation that Yuhas sees as potentially out of control.

Arizona's medical pot law gives state-qualified patients the right to grow up to 12 plants each unless a dispensary is open within 25 miles.
For now, there are no dispensaries.

Yuhas acknowledged that even if Brewer's lawsuit is stopped in its tracks, the dispensary applications still wouldn't be accepted without Brewer's okay.

Joe Yuhas, spokesman for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, said of the ruling "We would hope that our state leaders will now recognize it is time to stop wasting taxpayer dollars in an effort to thwart the will of the voters and move ahead with full implementation of the initiative."

This rule could lead to dispensaries running out of marijuana or drive up costs for patients if dispensaries have to produce the majority of their own marijuana, said Joe Yuhas, co-founder of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, a trade group for dispensers and growers of medical marijuana and patient-advocacy group.

...

Some of the department's proposed rules could create unintended consequences, said Yuhas, a representative of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, which helped draft Prop.
203.

Yuhas said he supports high but reasonable standards that don't increase the cost of medicine or deter patients from acquiring qualifying-patient cards.

"We believe one of the most significant unintended consequences is any unrealistic regulation that makes the program so restrictive that it forces the patients to go back to the criminal market," Yuhas said.

...

Marijuana Policy Project, based in Washington, and local professionals who worked on the Proposition 203 campaign coordinated the forum to educate prospective participants in anticipation of the public-comment period, said Joe Yuhas, representative of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project and co-founder of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association, a trade group for dispensers and growers of medical marijuana.

The feedback the DHS receives could shape day-to-day activities for the program, and people looking to participate should help set standards, Yuhas said.

"There may be some that think this situation will become the same as it is in some other states," he said.

Joe Yuhas, spokesman for the Arizona Medical Marijuana Association,
did not attend the hearing to testify against the bill.
Yuhas told
Capitol Media Services he believes his opposition would be
meaningless.

"The Legislature is not friendly territory for us,' he said.
Yuhas

...

Yuhas said she cannot do that.

He said a 1998 constitutional amendment, approved after legislators
voided a 1996 medical marijuana law, specifically bars lawmakers from
altering any voter-approved initiative.

The only exception is when a change furthers the underlying purpose of
the original measure.
Yuhas said denying marijuana to college students